BEA'S BOOK NOOK "I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once." C. S. Lewis “If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” ― Oscar Wilde

Monday, January 27, 2014

Bea Reviews The Last Savanna by Mike Bond & Adventurer's Kit Giveaway

Publisher: Mandevilla Press
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: January 15, 2014
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:
With Africa's last elephants dying under the poachers' guns, Kenya rancher and former SAS officer Ian MacAdam leads a commando squad against them. Pursuing the poachers through jungled mountains and searing deserts he battles thirst, solitude, terror and lethal animals, only to find that the poachers have kidnapped a young archaeologist, Rebecca Hecht, whom he once loved and bitterly lost. 

McAdam embarks upon a desperate trek to save not only Rebecca but his own soul in an Africa torn apart by wars, overpopulation, and the slaughter of its last wildlife. Based on the author's experiences pursuing elephant poachers in the wilds of East Africa.

Bea's Thoughts: 

Africa. Wild animals. Poachers. A kidnapped former lover. "The Last Savanna" certainly sounds intriguing but it just didn't work for me. I expected an action/adventure novel; what I got was a treatise on life and a brochure on African wild life with a side helping of politics.It seems as if Bind couldn't decide whether to write an adventure novel or a work of literature; it definitely leans more toward the latter than the former.

The writing is at times exquisite, at other times pretentious or over the top, and I never cared about two of the three main characters, Rebecca and Adam. I did like Warwar, despite his violent actions. I found him the most relatable and hoped that he would marry the woman of his dreams; if only he didn't have to poach animals, kidnap someone and kill people to make that dream come true. It took until about 40 percent into the book before I really had any interest in what was happening but even that came and went. Several times I almost put the book down and gave up on it.

I did enjoy reading about the wildlife, learning about creatures I'd never even heard of and learning more about creatures with whom I have a passing familiarity. To be honest, there were times when Bond was describing a hunt where I wanted the animals to win and the humans to lose. Several times, Bond writes scenes from an animal's POV, with only slight anthropomorphizing, and I felt as if I was in the animal's head.

I might have enjoyed the book more if my expectations had been different, although since Bond's style of writing is not really my cup of tea, maybe not. If you're interested in Africa, and don't mind occasionally purple prose, give "The Last Savanna" a try.

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Chat with Mike! 

Join BookTrib for a live chat tomorrow, Tuesday January 28th at 4 PM EST, with Mike and enter to win an Adventure Survival kit! 
 
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GIVEAWAY 

Another chance to win an Adventurer's Kit! Thanks to Meryl L Moss Media, I have one Adventurer's Kit to give away to a US reader. Enter using the rafflecopter below. Please read my Giveaway Policy.

Here's what you can win: 

The Last Savanna by Mike Bond www.mikebondbooks.com
Survival card multi tool (Kikkerland) www.kikkerland.com
Colorful Bandanna (Carolina Mfg) www.carolinamfg.com
Coghlan’s – 2 camping items (items may vary) www.coghlans.com
Aquatabs water purification tablets www.aquatabs.com
Clearon neutral pH bleach tablets – www.clearon.com
Nuun flavored electrolyte tablets – www.nuun.com
Element Bars nutritional energy bar – www.elementbars.com
Gear Aid - Seam Grip and Tenacious Tape repair patches www.mcnett.com/gearaid
Badger organic sunblock and lip balm – www.badgerbalm.com
Grabber Emergency Blanket – http://www.grabberworld.com/
HeatMax Hand Warmers - http://www.heatmax.com/blog/
Action Wipes full body wet wipes – www.actionwipes.com
Women’s Adventure Magazine – www.womensadventuremagazine.com
Outdoor Sports Guide Magazine – www.sportsguidemag.com
Out There Monthly – www.outtheremonthly.com


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3 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. I'm sorry this didn't work for you. The blurb sounds great, and if the book lived up to its promise, I think I would have enjoyed it too, despite not usually being drawn to books about Africa. (Well, with the exception of Born Free, which I read at least four times in my middle- and high-school years.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I recently watched Born Free on NetFlix; I hadn't seen it in years. I read the books in high school. Joy was troubled but she did some good work.

      The had a lot of potential; I was disappointed.

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